Tony Mandarich Was NFL’s Biggest Bust, Then He Rebuilt His Life

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During his collegiate career at Michigan State legendary college coach Nick Sabin was an assistant at the time at Michigan State, and who discovered Mander which said that he was quote probably the most dominant offensive lineman that I have ever been around." Dandridge entered the NFL is the highest-paid offense of lineman and league history.

Then Dandridge's story was immortalized by two Sports Illustrated covers one handling him as the incredible bulk heading into the 1989 draft and then one in 1992 calling him the NFL's incredible bust as his four year career in Green Bay came to a halting and there is Mander, which to share his story growing was actually fantastic for me. I had a great childhood, great parents, great siblings, and ironically, although were talking about our American stories.

I'm Canadian sent most of my years, now 53 years old. Most of my life. As Vince spent stateside and so grown up in Canada to say that you play street hockey ordinal on the road in your neighborhood was a common thing and you know watching what a hockey and things like that is a lot of the stereotypes that Americans have anything just people have of Canada are true very liberal country Collins of first-generation immigrants which my parents were parents came over 1955 to escape communism from former Yugoslavia and to start a better life for their family and kids, and that's basically what they did so in my childhood was great. Just as in the greater Toronto area where 45 minute drive from Buffalo three-hour drive from Detroit so when it came to NFL Sundays I got to see a lot of the Detroit Lions. A lot of the Buffalo Bills and when it came to college football. We see a lot of the Big Ten schools on TV but to sum up my childhood, I would say very accurate phrase would be. I definitely didn't have everything I wanted but I deftly had everything I needed to celebrate, experience, and then as you grow up into your adolescent years you start having dreams and I remember at age 11, which is pretty on my oldest daughter right by me. My youngest daughter right now is 21. So when I saw her at 11. It was kind of a wake-up call for me because you don't realize how young person that is when they're that age and when I think about it. It was at 11.

I took out of piece of paper and wrote down what I was can it be when I grew up or what I wanted to be when I grow up and that was to become a professional football player out in the NFL and to be to become a professional photographer for me that these things were normal.

As I grew older I realize they were normal because not everybody did the things that I did not everybody took out a piece of paper and did short-term midterm and long-term goals. For me it was like I don't know why I did that.

It seemed natural and then you know and then I would at the end of the three months for the short term goals. If I'm not reaching those goals short-term goals I need to find out why and if I don't know why that I need to reset my short-term goals and reset my midterm goals long-term ones still might be the endgame of making it to the NFL and then becoming a photographer.

Whatever I three years under my belt in Canada high school football. By the end of my junior year. It was like that were talking 1980 to 1983. There wasn't very many American colleges coming up to Canada to recruit potential football players.

Yes, there was for hockey but not so much for football because high school football in college football and pro football. Those pinnacles are all stateside. If you really want to be honest and you suck it ourselves. If you want to you if you football your dream. You gotta go stateside if hockey is your dream you know hope you're going Canada so it's it's it's interesting and I knew that after that third year. Both my brother and I knew that we needed to make some kind of a decision that was going to help me get exposure and some American coaching in Ohio at that time were ended up going for my senior high school in Ohio was one of the what they call the big three, one of the big three states for high school football. It was Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida were the three biggest con estates so my brother was going to Kent State University in the time in Ohio and Kent, Ohio, and were kicking around the idea of me coming down there for my senior year living with him and he was going into his senior year of college and I was going. I would be going into my senior high school and for the really the sole purpose of getting exposure and getting some American coaching become a better football player you know we talked about with my parents and they said they were like if that's what you really really want to do and they knew I wanted to say was my whole life. It was so I talked about and you know my brother huge kudos to Hanford, you know, taking a sacrifice of bringing on your little brother was in senior in high school near Eddie's big man on campus is a football player because he was having a very good career ended up getting drafted in the first round of the Canadian football league so you know he he he wanted was for the greater good of his younger brother and Kent Roosevelt high school had four or five athletes being recruited forceful scholarships to Division I schools, so that was great for me because that would bring those scouts to our games and then hopefully that it was up to me that I was now you need to get yourself noticed by playing above and beyond what you think you can play and when we continue more of the life of Tony Mander Rich in his own words here on our American story books. If you love the stories we tell about this great country and especially the stories of America's rich past.

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Nick Sabin was the was a defensive back coach at Michigan State. At the time and he in Ohio with his area so you know. After several meetings with Coach Sabin when I was being recruited out of Kent Roosevelt ended up signing with Michigan state and that was their offense of line was Junior's going into their senior year. Most of their starters. So coming in as a freshman. The chance of starting are pretty low, but if you get a year of experience under your belt by getting redshirted by the second year with all those guys graduating the jobs up for anybody goals job so that was like a major decision for me on going there. Nick was a major decision the way he was the way he was straightforward. There was no BS there was no salesmanship in it.

There was no sliming us about it. There was no it was all straightforward. This is what we got is what we can do for you and this can potentially be the result of the work in and I understand that language and then you know the head coach was George Purvis who was a four-time Super Bowl winner is a defensive coordinator at Pittsburgh in the 70s so that was a major decision because of George Maus. Like if I want to get to that level. The get go for Super Bowl rings recently and he's going to be able to call a spade a spade and sailor Tony Justin got it. You just don't have what it takes and you know and is nothing you can do as far as working out. It that will make it better because you just don't have the athletic ability. He's the type of guy that would say that you and he wouldn't say it to you in a malicious way he'd say into it and honestly, and if he didn't think you had ability.

He'd say you know what you do have ability, but you have a lot of work to do so. You know you get there for camp and once you got to camp. You know you pick a roommate.

Not a great roommate great guys to still keep in contact with John Buddy and so I kinda did what I did when I was 11 I pulled out the piece of paper and started writing the goals for the next 545 years and you know I wanted to become a starter that I want to become all Big Ten that I want to become all-American and then I want to be the first player taken in the draft and my roommate's brother at the time was playing for the Kansas City Chiefs and his dad had played for the Kansas City Chiefs and I mean iconic family.

As far as football in Kansas City and just phenomenal people.

He was like what you know we write nobody doing as it is right.

My goals down and now only known as Geico to three weeks. He wanted to read him so usually that something I would not share with anybody so I let him read amend and you could see his face expression changed the guts of the latter part of the list because that's where was like become the first player taken become all-American and further taken in the draft and she was like first taken draft. He's like there's only one a year and I said I know I said why not it be me and you know that phrase of why not me, became a very common phrase in my life in my head in my vocabulary. If you will. So you know every decision I made. I would ask myself, you know, is this get me closer to my goal as a distraction but I was very careful on the decisions I made and then if I saw like old.

How would I describe it on unstable crowd of people out. I had a choice to say you know what this is going to escalate, probably at some point tonight and I really want to be around this and chance losing my scholarship and by getting involved with. You know my ego not backing down from somebody I might have more to lose and they do you know the five years I was at Michigan State.

I chose to use steroids, not the best decision in the world. It was against NCAA rules. Yet I still chose to use them because my gut feeling was that to make it to the next level.

My position you pretty much have to use steroids and that's not true. Although I believe that that was something.

A topic that I would not want to discuss with teammates or anybody because I knew it was wrong and I thought it through, and I thought about the worst potential thing that could happen and I was like no I'm still willing to pay the consequences. That happens because I felt that if I didn't do it. I wouldn't be giving it my all you know and and did I cheat on drug tests yes I did in college to pass drug test kit. I was introduced to it by my brother and I thought about it for months and then, and that's where that desired to become the greatest way the desire getting caught. There was legacy suspicion than those of you see phrases like yeah but DCI works out yet what you see these here before other people work out and then he does the work out that is mandatory and goes above and beyond as his own workout yet you see that he stays here later than when everybody when they leave because he's known doing homework were trying to get better at something so you know if steroids were the only thing that had made me all-American all Big Ten line in the year twice and all-American twice and on finishing in the running for the Outland trophy finishing in the running for the Heisman Trophy being drafted second overall. If steroids were the only factor, then wouldn't most people have that can result and I think this is certain. You know, na�ve medicine society that you just take him in the happens you can take them and do nothing and nothing will happen. You have to do the work you do the work regardless whether you're taking them or not you have to do the work and you have to do it at a level that is higher than you ever thought you could do it and you have to do it day in and day out and there's not many people are willing to do that type of work in society any career Tony mandrake. I left college and stopped taking steroids because I knew the NFL's testing system much more sophisticated in college and and there was enough rumors going around about the steroids in my name that I was like you know what I need to disassociate myself with that and kind of get away from it. So I did, but almost immediately within a week I had kind of do no fill that void with no painkillers so that all of a sudden painkillers became I noticed when I took painkillers. A lot of the problems were as big as they were before I would swallow 70 painkillers in the Elko came into play fairly heavily when it was difficult to get the prescriptions because the demand for the prescription was, you can fill a narcotic to early so then you try to get multiple doctors writing multiple scripts to different pharmacies and it becomes a full-time job and I'll consume your life you know it was before I got sober and even going the last three years of my drinking and drugging. I been kicked out of Green Bay 92. I didn't get sober till I was in March to March 23 95 and after leaving Green Bay. I thought it can get worse and you were listening to Tony mandrake and boy, this is real and this is raw and you're thinking my goodness, how could a guy have blown it. How could he have made that decision for folks we've all been there. Tony man urges real life story when we continue here on our American stores and we continue here on our American droids you're listening to Tony mandrake, my goodness, you've heard the story of how he got into the NFL into the Green Bay Packers and in the end we had to stop doing the steroids. He knew he'd get busted and what he replaced it with his opioids and ultimately alcohol and what is a lot of pain involved in the NFL, especially training and training from the pain. So now he was an addict of a different sort. But to return to Tony mandrake's and his story after leaving Green Bay. I thought it can get worse and then two months later my brother passed away from terminal skin cancer and 9 to 12 months later after my brother passes away. My parents get divorced after 40+ years of marriage. After everything they've gone through escaping from communist countries.

All coming to Canada with no money and not knowing how to speak English and make it that foundation was gone in your hero and your mentor. My brother was gone and I was like this be an understatement to say that I felt like an epic fail was right there in front of me and things kept getting worse and I thought to myself, you know what I'm to stop saying things can't get worse because every time I say something bad happens but it did stay back for another year and then you know what changed it for me was, you know there's a conversation with a good friend of mind was the kind like the final catalyst that made me make a decision on putting myself in treatment but really boiling it down to what it really was.

It was emotional pain. It was the pain felt the pain of shame pain of letting people down.

All those things had become greater than the desire to get high. It was consuming the desire to get high it it overwhelmed that getting high at one time was a solution and it felt good, but at some point the solution became a problem and then you get yourself in a situation where you know you can't live with it and you can't live without it and that's a tough one because it's a Catch-22 and would I go from here and in your hamster on a hamster wheel and all I needed then was that catalyst of that friend of mine, reminding me that if you don't change, read, and I and I was ready to hear it and I was like okay what can we do about it because everything I've tried every way. I've tried to stop his failed and I'm not sure that it's in it for me. I'm not sure that I'm supposed to get sober.

And I never ever was mad at God. I believe God. The whole thing in God. The whole time was never mad at God. Why be added and never internally and never play the victim. Poor pitiful me know your call spade a spade allows messed up. Also if you call a spade a spade. Say what it is your drug addict wanted to treatment and treatment center in Detroit. You always remember day five and day 11 of the 17 days of the two days I remember the most because of the most impactful day five we had a meeting with the counselor with like eight patients that were inpatient maybe one of them and she said before we start the meeting. She said I just want you all to take into consideration that your best thinking in your best plans and life got you here and that was a Louisville slugger face like wow, she's right and at that time.

Every decision I made in my life brought me to that moment sitting in a treatment center outside of Detroit. I thought got a could affect California some nights in on-air destroy you know and and then at the day 11. I started laughing again and I didn't think that that would happen. Not really in a genuine fashion. I thought that the fund was pretty much over for the most part, but I'd rather live a boring sober life was better than living a miserable drinking and drugging life. I started laughing again just from us. Patients sharing stories amongst each other and some of the nonsense we had done, you could relate to the guy that works for the municipality that was running a backhoe digging ditches in Detroit. You can totally relate to what he was saying. And here I was a pro football player and I understood exactly what he saying I understood exactly about his craving and we couldn't wait to get off and get home and you know pop some pills and drink some alcohol get to the bar, but the guy could relate and there was politicians and their there was tall people short people five people skinny people, men, Women Lack Way, Asian any culture you could think it a disease did not discriminate people's lives, but we all shared a very very common thing and it was the majority of the people stories we could relate to take away a few things that have to do with job circumstance or whatever, or what role he played in their community or society and you remove that 80% of the rest of that person, you can relate to 100% and feel their pain and feel their relief and feel everything that they've gone through in your like doctors demeanors other people out there that feel this way and have gone through this and are going through this because I thought I was unique and I was the only one we would laugh at that stuff and I remember one day 11 sitting on my on my bed and to treatment center in my stomach was hurting from laughing and that was the first house for the first time in 10 years that my stomach hurt from laughing and I thought you know whole opposite of what I thought would ever happen by for.all about that feeling of what that felt like.

And then my next thought was, you know I don't. I'm not sure what's happening here, but whatever it is him to get my nails into a mall and go and then 670s later my head down left treatment is a 30 day program. I state 17 was paying out-of-pocket. And I was running out of money and you know they said no. We want you to stay 30 and is and what your role in the pickup will stay 30 and course you know running a business to understand and a knife and I was like you know I feel that I get it I get it it's pretty crystal-clear and and I'm sure that a lot of people say that to you guys and then two days later, the blackout using I said, but like I get it and I know it's really been 17 days, but these instructions injured that you've given me for when I do leave to do these things already started making calls to do these things and preparing you know the statistics of X amount of people percentages will stay sober for one week or less after the treatment than 30 days in last six months less than a year or less, for staggering and and then less than 1% of the people will stay sober. The rest of their life and you been listening to Tony Manders and my goodness, the pain, the guilt and the shame overwhelming and overwhelmed.

The desire to get high Tory manner, which was ready to change his life. When we come back we can continue his story Tony manner, which is remarkable story here on our American stories and we continue with our American stories and Tony Manders which is story.

Let's pick up we last left off the statistics of X amount of people percentages will stay sober for staggering and less than 1% of the people will stay sober. The rest of their life and for me that inner voice said, why not me. What I mean why not, why not leave either one of those that they need the need to fill a percentage soul Philip percent and an been sober since the first five years I was so I know the first five years I was sober. I averaged minimum meeting a day 12 step meeting. Some days I go to and it wasn't like I go to them because I felt doesn't drink that day was like I was going to them to grow as a person, even sober you know you don't become a saint. Just because you get sober. And when I left treatment. I had no intention zero intention of going back to play.

I was so happy to be so because I thought that was impossible. I was so happy to be sober and actually laughing again demand full-time head and that weatherhead and that was football whether I was like a man.

It's like I should be, but still young enough. I said I could still play and desires her to come back and I started working out again. He'll know in all steroids know nothing and was getting stronger and everything was falling in the place and I thought you know I could try to make some right side of the wrongs that I've done.

There were some wrongs that I had done that which is not capable of making right because it was just so wrong and damaging but I thought at least go make an attempt to go back if somebody even gives you a chance and kinda keep your mouth shut her nearly earn your money for a change and give that organization. Whichever organization that may be everything you've got nothing on the plate and I was lucky enough to get that chance within the and and I made crystal-clear with them that that they knew the whole story and I told him everything I told him the truth and I said so really what you're getting is damaged goods, and you're taking a chance and why should a team take a chance on me and I thought you know and I and I thought to myself, you know, why should a team take a chance on me because chances are I wouldn't because I knew what you get a chance. Now I have a chance to make it. Just because they sign it as me you make it.

It's a step closer, and I know that if sobriety was impossible and it happened and I'm happy that football is a detail because I really knew how to get there. I just had to do without the steroids and I knew that was possible.

I knew the training techniques. I knew the fundamentals I knew the foot speed thing I've been doing my whole life and I just had to start catching up because I was three years out of the league and even at 20 years old euros starting to get on the middle to latter part of a career that I played for them. Been out three and you know abusing my body with chemicals.

So, in the end, you know the other three years of ND's time to retire because my shoulder and just took a beating going into it. I would look the more of it like just kind of make some amends quite amends, make some things right or wrong size and the internal demons and proved yourself you can play without the use of steroids and those things happened, but in the bigger scheme of things, looking at the story and my whole story. That is a crucial crucial element to the story that confirms and reiterates in that sobriety works and things the right way and you have to be have a drug problem.

Just do things the right way the first time seem to go back if you ever get the opportunity to go back in anything school anything is a much easier way to live. So when I retired, 98, 1998 from Indianapolis because of a shoulder injury took what I was therefore I force myself to take a month off of really not doing anything are looking for any kind of a job just to kind of, you know deprogramming just kind of take a breath because it seemed like it'd been go go go since I walked into the treatment center. And you know that lasted about a week and that I just pull a piece of paper and asked myself if I could be anywhere, live anywhere, and do anything.

Where would it be and what would it be the answers were either Southern California, Arizona and Nevada and so really the answer on paper was to Arizona and to become a professional photographer, which to me means you that's what you're doing to make a living and and that's what I did and you know you go from the multiple six-figure salary you leave that multiple six-figure salary and $38,000 you next year doing what you love and a lot of people will say that that's not the greatest mood in the world. The value of being able to sleep at night carries more value than paycheck and don't get me wrong paycheck is good and to be able to sleep at night is good, but if it comes on one of the other.

I'd rather be able to sleep at night, but really that's what I did.

I followed what I love to do and then it was like figure out a way to monetize it and that's what I did and there's been great years of revenue and is been not so great years of revenue with photography, but it's been in trouble in relation to how much effort is put in by me so you know it's fundamentals and makes me think of people like Nick Sabin and people like George Perlis. These coaches that have been much as those two coaches, but many more that I haven't even mentioned that have influenced the rest of my life via the football field because of how they taught and at that time when we were on the football field. Little did we know that there were not only teaching us about football but they were teaching us about life. I know that they knew it, but when you're 19, 20 years old. You're bulletproof. It's not� Football coaching and that said they were football coaching but you take those fundamentals and you can find anything that you will have success if you execute that's why I think it's important to share like this, everybody has a story and I think it's one of the most valuable things a person has is her story and a lot of people say their story is insignificant and that's a bunch yes because everybody has a story and everybody story matters because the biggest key is the person that you're sharing with the people you share your story with if they can relate to your story and I know they will. You know, okay, they won't be able to relate to go on a football camp for the most part 99% of them will be able to relate to 99% of the rest of my story because pain is pain, emotional pains, emotional pain, whether your you know mom raising kids at home, which is probably of his job in the world to construction worker a pro athlete engineer and architect Dr. does matter what it is. Pain is pain and I used to think I was unique which almost killed me and my pain would be unique for was greater than other people's pain until I got sober and that I realize you know what you and anybody.

Everybody has hardships in not everybody pulls through hardships. So what you with your decision. Do you want to pull through this. If you do what your motivation and if you don't want to pull through this and cut.

I want to lay low and crawl in a cave in Canada hi live that kind of a life that's an option to that's not the way I was wired was wired to try to make as much right of the wrongs that I had done in continue that rest your life and what a story you've just heard were talking to Tony man to riches story. By the way, what remarkable thing we had an ample skulls that you're getting damaged goods. He said to them, and you're going to have to take a chance on me.

We gotta take a chance on people, folks, Tony man to riches story. A remarkable American story, even though it was born in Canada. This was indeed an American story here on our American story